Hi and welcome to our vegetarian kitchen where, each week, there will be recipes for dishes from all around the world - all nourishing, cheap and interesting. You won't be asked to search the woods and forests for wild funghi, neither will you have to gather your own herbs and spices. All ingredients will be affordable and available at your local supermarket.

Saturday, 26 November 2011

Hi, and welcome to our Vegetarian Kitchen. Autumn is here, season of mists and mellow fruitfulness bringing shorter days and cold nights and what could be nicer than a warming bowl of soup. This week our recipe is for a lovely spicy Parsnip Soup.

INGREDIENTS

2 Large Parsnips

3 oz Butter

1 medium size Onion (chopped)

2 cloves Garlic (minced or coped)

1 Litre Vegetable Stock (Green OXO or stock of your choice)

1 rounded teaspoon curry powder

Half Pint Single Cream

Salt &Pepper to taste

Chopped coriander or Parsley to garnish.METHOD

Peel and slice the Parsnips.

Heat the butter gently, add onion and cook until the onion is soft, add garlic, heat for a few more minutes. Stir in curry powder, cook for 1 minute, add parsnips and stock. Bring to the boil and simmr until the parsnips are cooked (about 20 minutes). Liquidise the soup.

Return the soup to a clean pan. Stir in the cream and season. Garnish with chopped coriander or fresh parsley.

Back to our Tomato Soup, vegetable soups, when eaten in a restaurant or hotel are not always what they seem. We had a lovely vegetable soup in a country pub, only to be told later (when we asked for the recipe) that it was made with chicken stock! Rest assured, ALL our ingredients are suitable for vegetarians ( though not Vegans as we use dairy products).

INGREDIENTS

400g TIN CHOPPED TOMATOES

Half Pint Vegetable Stock (OXO GREEN) (or stock of your choice

Half Pint Milk

4 Tablespoons Single Cream

Half teaspoon dried Oregano

1 small Onion finely chopped

2 oz Butter

Salt & Black Pepper

Fresh Parsley to garnish

METHOD

Gently fry the onion in the butter, do not burn. Add tin chopped tomatoes, stock, Oregano and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Alow to cool and liquidise.

Add the milk stirring all the time and bring to boil, Stir in the cream. Check seasoning and add salt and pepper to taste. Before serving, sprinkle fresh Parsley over the top.

Tuesday, 8 November 2011

Hi and welcome to our Vegetarian Kitchen. This week our recipe is for another Italian classic - Minestrone Soup. The most delicious Minestrone Soup I tasted was many years ago in a small Italian cafe tucked away behind Covent Garden. Covent Garden was London's fruit and vegetable market, opening around 1670, but today Covent Garden is famous for its restaurants, large central piazza, shops, fashionable boutiques and night life. Our Minestrone will, of course, be made with Vegetable Stock.

MINESTRONE SOUP

(serves 6 to 8)

INGREDIENTS

225g/8oz Can Red Kidney Beans (drained)

1 Large Onion (choped)

2 Cloves Garlic (crushed)

4 small carrots (finely chopped)

2 stalks celery (chopped)

Quarter small cabbage (sliced)

1 tablespoon Tomato Puree

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

100g/4 oz) Macaroni

100g/4oz Frozen Peas

3 Pints Vegetable Stock (use Green Oxo or cubes of your choice)

1 teaspoon dried Basil (or Oregano)

Salt and Black Pepper

METHOD

Heat the oil in a very large saucepan. Gently fry the onion, add garlic and celery. Add all the vegetables except the Red Kidney Beans and Peas which will be added later. Add stock and stir thoroughly. Stir in tomato puree, add herbs and salt and black pepper. Bring to the boil, stir, then simmer for 20 minutes.

Now add the Macaroni, red kidney beans and cooked peas. Bring back to boil.

About Vegetarian Kitchen

Hi and welcome to our vegetarian kitchen where, each week, there will be recipes for dishes from all around the world - all nourishing, cheap and interesting. You won't be asked to search the woods and forests for wild funghi, neither will you have to gather your own herbs and spices. All ingredients will be affordable and available at your local supermarket.There will be recipes for soups with their roots not only in this country but added influences from the sunny Mediterranean and the Middle East.
With our Indian curries we will also give recipes for yoghurt dips and salads to balance the spices.
There will be many pasta and rice dishes, and no vegetarian kitchen would be complete without the pulses - those nourishing beans and lentils that are such a cheap source of protein.
Lastly, but most importantly, the vegetables. We will always use what is in season whenever possible but also anything plentiful in the shops. Have you noticed how some vegetables seem to be available all year?
So again welcome, and do visit our veggie kitchen every week to try our recipes. Happy eating!